A Day in the Life of an Emergency Room Nurse

Realizing the events and responsibilities a nurse has to deal with in a typical day makes it more apparent as to why every detail matters. Wearing the right style and size uniform might seem like an insignificant matter to anyone who has never had this experience first-hand. Medical facilities rely on professional uniform rental companies to supply them with the variety of uniforms they need to provide comfort, flexibility, and protection for the professionals who wear them. In many cases, the uniform is the only barrier between the nurse and harsh chemicals, contaminated waste, or bodily fluids which may put nurses at risk of disease. One constant in a nurse’s career is that they never know what they will be facing next.

An Unpredictable Start to the Day

A nurse shows up for work according to a schedule, but never knows what she will face from the time she sees the first patient she will try to help. From the time she arrives, her services are likely to be needed, with little time for a break. There is no area of healthcare where there are not varying degrees of patient care that is required from day to day and from patient to patient.

The day may begin with signing in the first patients of the day. This could include taking their weight and getting details of why they are visiting their doctor. If you are making rounds, your early morning duties may be a great deal more hectic. You start by checking to see which patients are in the most critical condition, and addressing their needs first. Once this is done, you start with the second round of patients, whose needs are a little less demanding. Often, the needs of the critical patients will not wait until you are finished with the second round of patients, requiring you to organize what you are doing on the go.

While tending to your patients, you must chart every action that you take. It is essential that you log medications given, vitals that are taken, and a number of other specifics that are dictated by the doctor. All of the duties you perform and record must be performed flawlessly and without any discrepancy.

New patients, and those who are only there because their loves ones insisted, offer more challenges to balancing your time and attention. You may be caring for patients who are unable to care for themselves, those that do not want to be there receiving your care, and those that seem to want nothing other than to argue.

By the time the day comes to an end, you are exhausted and ready to call it a day. Like many nurses, the challenges of caring for a family are waiting at home, and you have to struggle to keep going until they are cared for, as well. You finally get to go to sleep for a few hours before you get up and start the day over again.

Emergency Room Nurses

Universal Precautions dictate that a nurse or any other healthcare provider always considers blood and bodily fluids to be infections with HIV, Hepatitis, and other bloodborne pathogens. This means always preventing these substances from coming into contact with the skin. More than any other area of healthcare, nurses who work in the emergency room are more likely to come into contact with infectious substances. The patients they treat may have no history on file, and their health condition may not be known to them. They may also be there because of any type or level of sickness or injury, instead of having a condition that is already known and being treated.

In addition to wearing protective gloves, shoe covers, and face protection when the risk of exposure is present, their uniforms need to be in good shape with no tears or holes that could put them at greater risk of exposure. This is one reason that you should choose a uniform rental service that inspects uniforms and cleans them appropriately to ensure they are not compromised when they are returned for the next use. While most nurses find the opportunity to help others to be a satisfying career choice, no-one should put themselves at unnecessary risk.

Company Bio

Prudential Overall Supply offers a green solution with their full service uniform rental program. They advise clients on choosing the appropriate fabric, color, and style of uniform for the specific use, and they measure each employee to create a custom uniform that will be comfortable and flexible for their specific needs. During the cleaning process, the company inspects each garment and repairs those that need mending. Those garments that are worn through are replaced, for a more professional appearance and a safer barrier under all types of healthcare conditions.